We were going to publish our piece on Jordan Binnington and Nazem Kadri today, but hockey is the farthest thing from our minds right now. In these moments of collective grief, there are no magic words or comforting anecdotes that can fix what we’re feeling. Things are hard, and they’ve gotten no better since the start of the pandemic. We don’t think we’d be the only ones that sometimes feel like the despair at the state of the world is on the edge of overwhelming us. We’re sad and furious and tired of seeing senseless violence again and again at the cost of our most vulnerable. Violence at the hands of a handful of people in power who have decided their values start and end in their wallets. We can only ask how much more do they want from us? What will it take to ease the greed that eats them up at the expense of our suffering? Is there an amount? What more can we do?
Right now, the only thing we can offer is a reminder that none of us are alone. The grief and rage we feel do not have to be processed alone. With all the wisdom she possesses, Gaby’s mom loves to remind us that everything and everyone are intrinsically connected. We all belong to a community in one way or another, and there are only benefits from strengthening our bonds to each other. We can build moments of joy and celebration and love each other with a fierceness that demands a better world for us all. As unfair as it seems to those like us who come from legacies of resistance and survival, here’s a reminder we’ve made it so far that we can do it all again, and that will never be taken away from us.
Here are a couple of things that got us through the day:
Fear - !Hola Papi! Newsletter by J.P. Brammer:
“Kids Who Die” by Langston Hughes
Steve Kerr:
This opinion piece by Shireen Ahmed
This article on the Buffalo shooting by Kathleen Newman-Bremang:
Beloved Community - bell hooks and Cornel West
Our friend Liz’s newsletter:
Art by Maybell Eequay : https://www.instagram.com/maybell.eequay/
Art by Titsay:
We’ll see you again on Monday.
In solidarity and love,
Gaby & Perrye